The present invention relates to a processing or recording technique for use with recording media for recording data such as audio data and video data.
In an electrically erasable non-volatile memoryxe2x80x94referred to as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM)xe2x80x94two transistors are used to store one bit of data. This two transistor configuration means that EEPROM circuits require a relatively large integrated circuit surface area, and limits the integration density of the circuits.
To solve this memory density limitation problem, a flash memory has been developed in which one bit is stored using only one transistor, and all bits can be erased simultaneously. Thus, the flash memory is expected to replace recording media, such as magnetic discs and optical discs.
A removable flash memory card has been developed for use with various electronic devices. This memory card can be used in digital audio data recording/reproducing apparatuses instead of, or in addition to, conventional disc media such as CD (Compact Disc) and MD (Mini Disc).
Various pieces or types of data, in addition to audio or video data, may be recorded together on one recording medium such as a flash memory card by a recording apparatus. For example, a recording apparatus may record, asa single data group, music data reproduced from a CD or MD, or distributed by a communication or broadcast means. As another example, the recording apparatus may record voice data captured through a microphone as another data group. Such voice data recording ability may be useful for taking audio memos, recording a conference, and the like. Furthermore, the recording apparatus may record, as a single data group, still picture data and moving picture data captured by still cameras and video cameras. Moreover, the recording apparatus may record data to be used by a personal computer.
Thus, various types of data may be recorded on one memory card. Accordingly, when the memory card is full or contains different types of data, it may be difficult for a user to determine which data is to be erased. In such a situation, when the user wishes to erase certain data, the user needs to check the data to be erased. However, such an arrangement may be very inefficient.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording or processing apparatus capable of executing operations so as to enable a user to erase data in a relatively easy and efficient manner.
According to an aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for processing data is provided. The apparatus comprises a determining device for determining whether data stored in a first storage medium is re-recordable by determining whether the data is already stored in a second storage medium. The apparatus also comprises a controller for controlling an erase process for the stored data according to a result of the re-recordability result made by the determining means.
Upon receiving a request to erase a particular piece of data, the abovementioned control device may execute erase processing for the particular piece of data if such piece of data is found by the discriminating device as being restorable or re-recordable and may execute erase disable processing if such particular piece of data is found by the discriminating device as not being restorable or re-recordable. If a particular piece of data is disabled for erase, the control device may execute notification processing so as to provide notification that the particular data is disabled for erase and, if a command for erasing the particular piece of data is received after the notification processing, may execute erase processing for the particular piece of data. Further, upon receiving a request to erase an unspecified piece of data, the control device may execute erase processing for data found by the discrimination device as being restorable or re-recordable and may not execute erase processing for data found by the discrimination device as being not restorable or re-recordable.
If storage capacity of the above-mentioned storage or recording medium becomes low in recording data, the control device may execute erase processing for data found by the discrimination device as being restorable or re-recordable.
Non-rerecordable type of data may be audio data captured by a microphone or video data captured by a camera. Additionally, non-rerecordable type of data may be based on data copied from another recording medium to the respective recording medium.
The recording medium may be a non-volatile memory or a disc-shaped recording medium.
Management information for managing rerecordable and non-rerecordable type of data may be recorded on the recording medium.
An identifier which identifies the recording medium from which re-recordable type data has been obtained may be recorded on the respective recording medium as additional information. The additional information may be an international standard recording code (ISRC). The additional information may be an identifier generated on the basis of management information of the recording medium from which the data has been recorded. Further, when executing the erase processing for re-recordable type data, the control device may execute processing so as to leave the additional information on the recording medium.
According to the present invention, non-rerecordable type data, which may be original data created from data captured by a microphone or a camera, may be protected against erasure. On the other hand, rerecordable type data, which may be copied from another disc, may be erased preferentially. This enables a user to erase desired data more easily and may eliminate cumbersome and/or time consuming operations. Additionally, when rerecordable type data is erased, the additional information of that data may not be erased and may be left on the recording medium, thereby facilitating the subsequent rerecording processing for that data.
Therefore, summarizing the above description, the term xe2x80x9cre-recordablexe2x80x9d data, in this Specification, refers to data that is stored in a first recording medium but can be marked to be erased because that data can be restored or recorded again into the first recording medium from a copy of that data stored in a second recording medium.
The above and other objects, features and advantages according to the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the illustrated embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which corresponding components are identified by the same reference numerals.